Wiesenportz Marine Co.

Dreamed... Engineered... Crafted... Enjoyed...

Projects

FURNITURE & CABINETRY - Our meat and potatoes! Although we may dream about building classic wooden sailboats along the shores of a tropical island, reality requires we make a living to feed these dreams. Thus, designing and building fine furniture/cabinetry helps to perfect our skills, refine our classic style, and streamline our techniques.

Our client was very focused and meticulous about what they were looking for on this project. So, we matched that level of detail in the materials and craftsmanship of this graceful yet powerful vanity. Then we delivered it on time and under budget. Needless to say, the client was impressed --> turns out they didn't really think we could reproduce their vision as exquisitely as we did. Notes to ponder: pleasant surprises are really quite pleasant!

We like simple pleasures like this simple shaker style vanity made out of humble Poplar with a wiped oil varnish. Throw in a pinch of intricacy with some ornate hardware and poof! A solid classic piece of heirloom furniture.

Now this is an heirloom piece of art with beautiful character in both the materials used (African Mahogany) and the design crafted (steam bent semi-circle geometry - how cool is that?!). The jade marble top just adds that much more old world charm doesn't it? If all of our projects were this cool we would be fat, dumb, and happy. Unfortunately, some projects have omitted the happy part.

This was another relatively large project. And although it didn't entail any exotic hardwoods or sexy product design, it did educate us on manufacturing. Notes to ponder: Never underestimate the wear-n-tear that certain materials have on your tools and your body, transportation logistics should not be trivialized, and be prepared to stand and fight for what is yours when the general contractor turns out to be a flake. But we're not bitter or anything...

WARNING: You will not find an office desk system like this at your local Office Depot store! This deliverable was just way too cool for the average office furniture shopper. It dictated custom everything due to the unique office setting, and yet it didn't punish the client's bank account. We kept the design practical while delivering quality and class. Who says Poplar wood isn't classy?! Looks nice to us and the client couldn't have been happier.

We try to be as accommodating as possible when a client comes to us with a design idea. But, as reality would have it, sometimes those designs just aren't that sound. Notes to ponder: if it doesn't look that sturdy on paper --> it's probably not going to be.

In addition to the client needing a place to set TV remotes, beverages, magazines, etc.; they also needed a coffee table that would withstand their children's spills, drooling, crayons, and so on. So we mimicked some architecture from Shermag furniture, made it kid-friendly with rounded corners everywhere, and applied a wiped oil based varnish. Then we set in a brushed stainless steel top that can be replaced as those baby years fly by! Note to ponder: Is "necessity" the mother of invention or perhaps "kid-proofing challenges"?

Here's one of those deliverables that you just know will end up being a humble little family heirloom that gets passed from generation to generation. And someday, somebody will ask: "...where the heck did this thing come from?".

This wonderfully accommodating client showed us a picture they saw in a magazine and asked us to build something similar for their living room. We took measurements, matched materials and finish to their existing kitchen cabinetry, built everything remotely at our shop in Camas, Washington, and then came installation day. Guess what? Sometimes things just work and this project definitely worked! Everything fit just fine and when you took a step back to see what had been accomplished you realize the house became a bit more of a home because of this custom woodworking project. That's a nice feeling.

OK, we admit it: we are big fans of cherry furniture & cabinetry. It looks great new and just keeps looking better with age. Eat your heart out, IKEA! Oh, and just word about louvered doors: sure they're hard to make, but just look how cool they are when you're done!

This client just happen to see the Business Station Table Set we made for the Seattle Hampton Inn and said to us: "Say, we would like something just like that for our hotel. Can you make one for us?". Naturally, we said: "YES!" And that's just what we did.

We like these type of projects! A beautiful cherry table with classic construction techniques topped off with a teak oil finish. Throw a black granite slap on top of everything and you got yourself a classy, as well as functional business station. The client was so pleased with everything they asked us to make two of them. Hey, we even hooked up the computers and printers for these guys!

Yes, this was our first real paying gig and yes, there are so many things we would do differently now. With that being said, we still delivered a stylish reception desk that was a huge improvement in both looks and functionality over what they had. Uh-humm, our deliverable was the curved brushed aluminum desk --> it replaced the square plywood block looking thing.

Not much to say about this simple mattress platform made from steamed cherry with a hand-rubbed teak oil finish....EXCEPT for the painfully obvious fact that we could greatly benefit from a professional photographer, yes?

Woodworking + Electronics + Liquor = Fun! Viewing this project online just doesn't do it justice. We suggest visiting this great little hotel bar in person and seeing our handiwork for yourself. Give your spirits a lift with a libation made with a spirit displayed on this liquor step at the Bellevue Downtown Courtyard Marriott.

The funnest part of this project was making something really useful out of beautiful Sapele hardwood. One would have to really try hard to build something and have it not come out gorgeous when using this exotic material. We topped it off with an authentic hand rubbed teak oil finish.

This had all the makings of a quick simple project. Then we made the drawer, applied matching stain and finish, then installed it where the old drawer used to be. Everything worked fine except now the new drawer looks so much better than the original! Go figure.

Our first big project: 250+ vanity counters for a Courtyard Marriott hotel in Bellevue, Washington. OK, so they're not the sexiest vanity counters ever produced, but the volume of this project educated us on how to (or how NOT to - depending on your perspective) efficiently manufacture the same unit over and over. Other learning curves we encountered were manufacturing logistics such as storage, delivery, installation, peaceful co-existence with general contractors and subcontractors, etc. Oh, and course --> Take more pictures or at least take a few really good pictures (read: do not stand in front of the mirror and take a picture of yourself taking pictures). Ahhh, fun stuff!

WOODEN BOATBUILDING - Our true passion! We love to apply our formal training and hands-on experience in building classic wooden sailboats the old fashion way. Well, as old fashion as possible --> some of the materials just aren't around anymore! Oh, and please don't be misled by the perception that this is a dead form of art. The wooden boatbuilding industry is definitley not dead and it's definitely not just art. There is an amazing amount of science that is required to build a wooden boat. Remember, cars have only been around for rougly 100 years. Wooden boats have existed for thousands of years!

The Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle, Washington asked us to replace the tow bit for this classic wooden tugboat. What an honor it was for us. These pictures were taken several months afters the repair was completed. We would have taken pictures at the time of the repair, but our camera didn't work too well in sub-freezing temperatures! Yikes - it was cold on that boat!

Our first vessel to slip into the drink! She was a beauty and plenty strong too. Built from lines found in a 1935 Popular Mechanics Boat Book, her pedigree may not have been royalty, but she caught everyone's eye and always returned you to shore, satisfied and dry!

GENERAL REMODELING - Definitely some more meat and potatoes - hey, you gotta pay the bills somehow! Besides, these projects are fun, educational, and usually help people complete projects that wouldn't normally get done.

When you see a 2x4 studded wall held together with masking tape it kinda makes you wonder about a lot of things really. It's probably safe to say that the walls we built for this storage area are of better quality than what was there. But the real fun on this project was building two barn style doors from scratch. Now this hotel has a safe and functional storage area --> mission accomplished!

They say "...the Cobbler's kids never have shoes on their feet.". Well, one of our Master Woodworkers - we call him Doug - made sure his family had a top notch kitchen remodel. Shown here are some gracefully simple steamed cherry cabinets finished with a practical sheen to help make cleaning peanut butter & jelly fingerprints easy.

This was one of those projects where sooner or later you ask yourself: "...will it ever end?". But it does eventually get finished and you look at the BEFORE & AFTER pictures and realize that: "Wow! Maybe we did actually add some value here...". Another great thing about this project was meeting the perfect client: Retired Colonel Levinski! You are truly a gentleman, a scholar, and a friend.

It may not be much to look at, but if we would have taken some BEFORE pictures the improvements would be more impressive. For example: we removed a mountain of junk, graded the entire parcel, planted a beautiful lawn and hedges, finished the garage & laundry room, installed a fence, and even built a foot bridge over the creek in back. Ahhh, live and learn...

Talk about planting a seed that grew into a career. This is the project that started the exodus from corporate America back to some childhood farm life roots. The pictures that are missing are the 26+ wheelbarrows full of dirt/rock removed, as well as the finished cedar deck which was the whole reason I even started the project. Note to self: take more pictures!

DECKS & PERGOLAS - Like barbecues & engine repair, there's just something instinctual that makes men want to build things like decks and pergolas. We could probably never be accused of making a fortune off of this service, but the end result of that cedar aroma and rosewood oil makes it all worth it!

When we first arrived at the client site, we thought to ourselves: "... there sure is a lot of concrete here.". So we tried to deliver a little more wood-life to their humble little patio area. Well, we couldn't have hoped for a better outcome and we're excited to see how some climbing vines and hanging foliage will enhance this classy looking pergola over time.

Once again we forgot to take the BEFORE pictures so if you happen to have any (this means you, Mike) feel free to share. This was not a large project by any means, but it definitely made us sweat --> I never knew removing a simple little slab of concrete could be so painful. Regardless, it was all worth it - the project ended up looking great and it was a good way to thank the guy who developed this awesome website for us. THANK YOU MIKE AT WWW.ONQSERVICES.COM!!!

GENERAL WOODWORKING - This category is a catch-all for odds and ends that just don't fit into the other categories. Think of it as that "junk" drawer in the kitchen that we all have, but never get around to cleaning up.

We don't know what was more rewarding about this project: the traditional look of these gorgeously stout doors OR the envy of our client's neighbors when they saw how incredible the boathouse looked with this spectacular improvement! HA!

Another one of these half-wall projects - what's the deal here, folks? Well, since the client didn't want their guests' breakfast service to be disrupted, the wall had to be constructed off site. Not a problem. Just find four of your biggest friends to take the afternoon off and help heave this surprisingly heavy thing up over their heads and then slide it in between the two columns. Wow - now that was entertaining! The only cool thing about this project was the real cherry hardwood cap. Ahhh, the passion of a woodworker...

It seemed like a simple project and for the most part, it was. We designed an attractive profile, milled up the wood, primed and painted the pieces and delivered them to the client site. That's where the easy part stopped. The hard part came when we had to carry a 12' long piece of poplar up four flights of stairs, hold it above our heads, fasten them to the ceiling, and then repeat this process 250+ times. Good times!!!

We definitely cut our teeth on this project, and consequently we now have a mouth full of cut teeth! Within two weeks we went from a desperate client request to an installed deliverable which ultimately secured the client's much needed liquor license. Let's recap by asking ourselves what was difficult about this project: The insane time line? The curved nature of a half-wall? How to fasten it to the floor and make it sturdy enough for bar room gymnastics? How to apply a stained & varnished finish in a dust laden and frantic construction environment? And how to do all of this in the dead of winter? Notes to ponder: Why did we agree t this project? Oh yeah, because when we visit that hotel we can say: "I built that!". Enough said.

A friend at our gym asked if we could make a rack to display his son's karate belts. Naturally, we said: "SURE!" and then proceeded to put walnut and Australian cypress together in a way that turned out quite nice. The only thing that didn't turn out nice are these hideous photos. Note to self: compliment the professional products we create with professional photos!